Bottle-stopper.



G. KIRKEGAARD. BOTTLE STOPPER.

APPLIGATION IILED APR. 1, 190a.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

.e o e KIRKEGAARD, or NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO IMPERIAL STOPPERCOMPANY,

' A CORPORATION or MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Sept. 29,

Application filed. April 1, 1908. Serial No. 424,516.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnome KIRKEGAARD, a

citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, boroughof Brooklyn, and

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBottle- Stoppers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to bottle and jar stoppers or closures of thatclass in whicha metallic cap containing a packing disk is used, and isadapted to be secured to the neck of the bottle by an engagement betweenthe edge of the cap and an annular shoulder on the bottle. In my PatentNo. 890,141, dated June 9, 1908, I have described an improvement in thisclass of stopper, whereby a comparatively small packing disk is used,which results in considerable economy in the material of which thepacking disk is composed.

The present invention provides a specific way of securing the smallpacking disk referred to within the metal cap.-

The invention consists of a metal cap having its top provided with acircular concentric groove forming a circular rim or rib on the insideof the cap, which serves as a seat or holding device for the packingdisk. hen the disk has been seated in this rim or rib, the latter isdriven inward annularly or at a number of points, so as to clamp theedge of the disk and retain it securely in the seat.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan of the improved stopper. Fig. 2 is a central sectionof the same; and F ig, 3 is a section of-the stopper as applied to thebottle. Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a modification.

My invention is not limited to any special form of this general type ofstopper, but I have shown it in connection with a type of stopper thespecific form of which was invented by me. This stopper comprises ametallic cap 1 having a flat surface or top 2 and a somewhat spreadingand depending flange 8. This flange is provided with inwardly bent lips4 to engage the annular shoulder 5 on the exterior of the neck of thebottle.

6 is a packing disk preferably of cork, but it may be of other suitablematerial. This disk, instead of extending across the internal 55diameter of the cap, is of substantially less diameter than the cap, butis essentially of greater diameter than the bore in the neck of thebottle, so that, when the stopper is applied to the bottle, the edge-ofthe disk will rest upon the inner portion or surface of the lip of thebottle. This limited areao'f contact between the disk and the bottle issuflicient for sealing purposes and aifords considerable economy in themanufacture of the stopper, since the diameter of the disk is about aquarter of an inch less than that of the ordinary disk on bottles suchas are most commonly used.

These stoppers are manufactured and sold in large quantities to brewersand bottling establishments generally, and are delivered with thepacking disk properly assembled within the cap so that the stopper isready at once to be applied to the bottle. For this purpose, it isdesirable to have the disk securely seated within the cap and thus avoiddisplacement or loss of the disks in handling. To accomplish this, Iform in the top surface of the metal cap a concentric groove 7 ofconsiderable depth to form an inwardly projecting circular rib or rim 8.The internal diameter of this rib is such that the disk will fit snuglywithin it, and, after the disk has been seated, by means of a suitabletool, the rib is bent inward towards the center of the disk eitherthroughout its circumference or at three or more points therein, so asto bite into the edge of the disk and hold it in place. When a stopperof this character is applied to the bottle, the capping machine presseson top of the stopper to compress the edge of the packing disk againstthe lip of the bottle and it is there secured by another operation ofthe capping machine, which draws the flange of the cap downward anddrives it into locking engages ment with the shoulder 5 on the bottle.Vhen this operation is performed with the cap I have described, theouter corner or shoulder 9 of the cap is drawn downward in the mannershown in Fig. 3, thus opening or obliterating the groove 7 in the uppersurface of the cap, but still leaving the inner wall of the grooveundisturbed to retain the cork. This, however,-is not important to theoperation or practicability of my improved stopper, since the functionof the rib S is merely to hold the disk until the time of itsapplication to the bottle; after that the conformation of the cap may beentirely changed inasmuch as the pressure of the disk against the mouthof the bottle will be suflieient to hold it in place.

The function of the internal rib or rim can be obtained by making such arim or rib in sections or discontinuous, which sections will grip theedge of the disk at various points. To carry this idea a little further,

embossings from the upper side of the cap inward, such as shown at 9 inFigs. l and 5, which, in effect, will be short sections of the rib, canbe used. Fig. 4: shows three such embossings, but, obviously, anysuitable number of them can be used. Each embossing will be set inwardslightly to grip the edge of the packing disk.

What I claim, is

1. A bottle stopper comprising a metallic cap having an annularconcentric groove in its upper surface, forming an internal rib, incon'ibination with a packing disk seated within said rib, substantiallyas described.

2. A bottle stopper comprising a metallic cap, in combination with apacking disk contained therein, said packing disk being of less diameterthan the internal diameter of the cap, and the cap being provided withan internal circular rib within which said disk is seated.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORG KIRKEGAARI) lVitnesses M. M. Stroomnnnuu, FRANK S. (lean.

